VOICe preparing new office space in Butler
The Victims Outreach Intervention Center, VOICe, is getting a new office in the old Institute Hill School building in Butler thanks to a woman who received help from the social service organization more than 20 years ago.
Tracy Veri, executive director of VOICe, said the nonprofit moved out of its office in Cranberry Township in November and staff have been working remotely until the new office is ready to open. She said the building will house VOICe’s administrative offices, but the organization still has shelters for victims in undisclosed locations.
The move from Cranberry Township to Butler will be beneficial for clients of VOICe as well, because the city offers more walkability to other resources they may need.
“Our staff will all be housed there, it will be a central location for our administration,” Veri said. “We're very much looking forward to being in this location, we can be so much more helpful to our clients’ access so much more.”
VOICe will rent its space in the former Institute Hill School from the Mosbys, who bought the property in December 2022.
According to a news release from VOICe, Alysha Mosby has shared her story of being in an abusive relationship, only to get out of it with help from VOICe. Mosby connected with VOICe in 2022 looking for ways to give back to the nonprofit, and buying the retired school building with her husband was her way of doing that.
“Whatever it takes,” Mosby said about her efforts to give back to VOICe.
Since the purchase of the building in 2022, workers have been preparing it for occupancy for office use. According to VOICe, the building needed significant alterations — including upgrades to its plumbing, sprinklers, security system and electrical system — and new doors and windows needed installed. It also had to be renovated to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Veri said VOICe received generous donations from the community to facilitate many of the renovation projects.
Of the structural renovations the building needs, Veri said the doors they need have been on back-order since last year.
She said while the nonprofit hopes to have the structural renovations done soon, it will likely take more time to finish the utility updates, including to the building’s HVAC system.
“We're hoping that the rest of the remodeling will be done at the end of February,” Veri said. “We are looking for about $50,000 to make repairs to (the) HVAC system. Any way people can donate would be really helpful.”
VOICe is the sole provider of specialized domestic violence support services in Butler County. Veri said moving the administrative offices to Butler — the center of the county — will help the agency provide more aid to actual Butler County residents. She said the organization, while based in Cranberry Township, got a lot of clients from Allegheny County, which has its own victim-advocate agencies.
“Most of our community partners are also in the city — we will be closer to them to get those resources,” Veri said. “This way, in the city, we'll be able to service way more Butler County residents than in Cranberry.”
Veri added that she hopes VOICe will be able to better serve residents in Butler by removing barriers like transportation. She said Butler has a public transportation system and is home to governmental offices, including the Butler County Courthouse and the Social Security and public assistance offices.
“Where we were before, we couldn't even walk anywhere to do anything,” Veri said. “Anyone who came to stay with us who didn't have a car couldn't go anywhere. We realized that being in the city would be beyond helpful for access to resources.”
The nonprofit has paid for some of the needs of the building through grant funding — VOICe gets 95% of its funding through state and federal grant sources — but Veri said donations to the agency are always welcome. She said even when the staff moves into the building, the organization will likely have to continue funding renovations.
“Right now, most of our material needs are met,” Veri said. “However, there's going to be some ongoing projects that require funding we can't use grant funds for.”
Mosby said she hopes to see VOICe itself expand its possibilities through its move into a new building, because many people still need its services — not only to escape an abusive relationship, but to move on to a successful life, like she did.
“It took the services provided by VOICe and talking with a counselor to realize that the trauma and abuse was not my fault,” Mosby said. “This is all so others have a place to go, like I did.”
